Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Hear no evil. See no evil....

J.D. Barker

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Pub Dater: June 27, 2017

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

2017 appears to be the year of the suspense thriller. There
has already been a number of quality ones out there and a few more of
them usually show up during the summer. The term "Summer Read" seems to
be tailor made for the mystery and suspense audience. For the most part,
they are diverting and fun reads for the beach but occasionally a few
goes past the quick read and amazes us with their combination of
mystery, psychological suspense and even a dose of horror. The first one
to wow me this year was Final Girls by Riley Sager. And now dead on its heels is The Fourth Monkey by J. D. Barker

The Fourth Monkey
is one of those books that dares you to read it in one sitting. The
suspense rarely lets up and there are a pair of very interesting and
troubled protagonists that keep our interest. It is a serial killer
novel that comes at a time when the sub-genre seems to be getting thin
and predictable. Barker's novel manages to take a number of well worn
ideas, such as the detective and killer duel of minds and the race
against time to save the victim. Yet the authors is able to keep it
interesting and fresh.

Homicide detective Sam Porter is
recovering from the death of his wife but is pulled back to work when a
six year old serial killer case that he has been on from the beginning
seems to be coming to a head. The Four Monkey Killer (4MK as the
officers not-so-affectionately call him) has been hit and killed by a
bus. How do they know it is him when no one knows his identity? He had
in his procession when he died a box with his victim's ear in it,
signifying the first monkey "Hear no evil", and a diary proclaiming him
to be that killer. 4MK has killed a number of young girls in the past
years. Since he mailed boxes with bodies parts in them before he finally
kills them, Porter surmises there is one more victim who is still
alive. Sam Porter and his partner Nash now needs to find her with only a
few clues and the killer's diary to guide them.

And this is
where it gets interesting. We follow the tracks of the detective as they
uncover each clue. There are plenty of red herrings and twists to
entertain even the most jaded mystery fan. However, in alternating
chapters we read the diary in which 4MK essentially tells us about his
childhood and his origins giving us another thriller and mystery as it
goes along. We know these two stories will come together at some point
and the way it happens is the intricate web that the author weaves. The
killer and detective appear to be continuing their battle of wits even
beyond the grave as the diary haunts Porter and brings up a few ghosts
of his own.

This is a hardcore cop and killer tale and one of the
best I have read in a long time. I caught a few of the surprises and
missed a few more which is good because it kept me guessing. Yet Sam
Porter is the character that keeps the novel from just being a
who-dunnit puzzle. He is tough and determined but vulnerable to the
point you wonder if he will keep it together. 4MK is also a vital
protagonist and the gimmick of using his diary to egg on and tease
Porter works so well I stopped thinking of it as a gimmick especially
since 4MK's back story is as riveting as the central plot. We also never
lose the tension of the race against time which is often so important
in books like this. J.D. Barker wrote a monster of a serial killer story
and it may be hard to top it. But my money is on Barker to do so in his
very promising career. He has the skills and the imagination to
continue with a string of great thrillers. For right now, The Fourth Monkey will more than suffice.

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About Me

My name is Marvin P. Vernon and I am a retired social worker who specialized in family therapy and domestic violence prevention. In the past, I have been a contributor to the Fact on File Student Thesaurus and currently pass my time as an avid reader and reviewer. I also work as a volunteer librarian at the Sun City Palm Desert Library. You can also find my reviews on Goodreads You can contact me at mpvernon5149@yahoo.com